Religious Rituals and Rites of Passage Quiz

Whirling Dervishes and Sufi Islam

• The Whirling Dervishes, a Sufi Muslim order, attain an Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) through repetitive stimulation.
• The Mawlawiyya, or Mevlevi Order, was founded by Jalal ad-din Rumi, a renowned Sufi poet, theologian, and mystic.
• The dance is accompanied by music, Qur’anic recitations, and Dhikr Allah (forms of devotion and remembrance of God).
• The performer becomes a vessel to receive divine love and distributes it to others, depicted by hand positioning throughout the performance.
• The sympathetic nervous system becomes overstimulated, leading to the orientation association structure in the brain shutting down, resulting in a feeling of oneness with the universe or God.

Embalming and Body Preservation

• Embalming is a method of preserving the body, usually practiced in cultures that believe the body's integrity is necessary for the soul's next life.
• Ancient Egyptians developed a process of mummification, which was time-consuming and expensive, only accessible to those who could afford it.

Torajan Culture

• The Torajans, an Indonesian culture, live with the dead as a normal part of their culture.

Maori Religion

• The Whanganui River in New Zealand has been a central part of Maori religion for over 700 years.
• According to myth, the river was formed when Taranaki, a mountain, fled after being caught with Pihanga, the beautiful maiden mountain, by Tongariro.

Evans-Pritchard Ethnography

• Evans-Pritchard conducted fieldwork among the Azande between 1926-1930.
• The Azande believe in witchcraft as an everyday reality, calling the innate ability to conduct witchcraft "mangu".
• Mangu is considered the soul of witchcraft and can leave the body during sleep to enter the body of a victim.

Witchcraft Accusations

• Witchcraft accusations are based on social tension and can grow out of negative emotions or behavior such as greed, envy, and hatred.
• Azande society supports polygyny, and tensions can grow between co-wives if one is favored over another.

Divination and Oracles

• The Azande use three oracles to determine the cause of illness: Dakpa (termite oracle), Iwa (rubbing board oracle), and Benge (poison oracle).
• If the Benge determines the witch, the husband elicits the assistance of the chief/deputy, and the accused is confronted and agrees to a ritual to remove the mangu.

Witchcraft in Euro-American Societies

• In Euro-American societies, witches are also considered evil, and witchcraft is influenced by Christian ideas about evil.

Rituals and Rites of Passage

• Occasional rituals are performed when an occasion arises, such as coming-of-age ceremonies and death rites.
• Rites of passage involve a transition from one status to another, serving to legitimize the new status and imprint it on the community's collective memory.
• Rites of passage have three phases: separation, transition, and incorporation.

Coming of Age Ceremonies

• Coming of Age ceremonies usually occur after a girl's first menses.
• Girls may be given new names, new clothes, tattoos, or scars to mark this transition.
• However, in some cases, girls might be forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which is highly condemned by the global community.

Test your knowledge on various religious rituals and rites of passage that are practiced in different cultures. Explore concepts like daily prayers, coming of age ceremonies, and death rites, that mark significant transitions in individuals' lives. Understand how these rituals play a role in legitimizing new statuses and fostering community traditions.